Choking Response

Airway obstruction relief

Universal Choking Sign

Person clutching neck with one or both hands

Mild Obstruction

Can cough and make sounds

Severe Obstruction

Cannot cough or breathe - ACT FAST!

Signs:

Weak or no coughUnable to make noise or talkMay make high-pitched noiseLittle or no breathingBlue around lips and fingertips

Abdominal Thrusts (Heimlich):

1

Stand Behind Person

Wrap your arms around their waist, below the ribcage

2

Make a Fist

Place your fist above the navel, in the middle of the belly

3

Grab Fist with Other Hand

Grasp your fist with your other hand

4

Give Abdominal Thrusts

Press forcefully inward and upward toward their chest

5

Continue Until

Object is expelled, person can breathe, or becomes unresponsive

If Person Becomes Unresponsive:

If person becomes unresponsive, lower them to the ground and begin CPR. After each set of compressions, look in the mouth for the object before giving breaths.

Special Cases

  • Pregnant women: Use chest thrusts instead of abdominal thrusts. Place your hands on the center of the chest.
  • Very large persons: If you cannot wrap your arms around, use chest thrusts.
  • Self-treatment: Make a fist, place above navel, thrust against a chair back or counter.

Important

  • • Do NOT do blind finger sweeps - only remove visible objects
  • • Anyone who has had a severe choking episode should see a doctor
  • • Call emergency services if obstruction cannot be cleared

App Permissions

To help you in an emergency, this app needs a couple of permissions. Here's exactly what's used and why:

Location

Used only when you activate the emergency location feature. Coordinates stay on your device and are never stored. Tap "Open Map" to send them to Google Maps so you can identify nearby streets or landmarks for the dispatcher.

Phone / Call

Emergency call buttons open your phone's dialler directly so you can reach services with one tap. No calls are made automatically.